As for why Exodus went political: the answer is not hard to find. That’s where the money is.

The reality is that most fundamentalists don’t want to “minister” to gay people at all. They want them out of sight completely. But they do want theological/political gay bashing and are quite willing to fund that, where they aren’t so anxious to fund a “ministry.” By joining the Religious Right in their anti-gay campaigns Exodus no doubt got access to funding like they never had before.

Their dilemma is that to accept those funds they have to alienate the very people they say they want to minister to.

]]>By: Stephenhttp://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2011/02/07/30363#comment-88680
Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:54:38 +0000http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/?p=30363#comment-88680Mr Bussee has my sympathy and he has to live with himself but Exodus was contemptible from the get-go. Its very reason for being was fear disguised by a lie. To now criticize what it has become seems self-serving at best. This was always a political/religious movement. Are we to be happy that his faith is somehow aligned with his sexuality? I don’t give a damn about his faith. That’s his concern. I don’t want to have to hear about it. The group he helped to found and actively promoted till he didn’t has harmed the lives of every gay person in the US and it now has international ambitions. If my remarks seem cruel this is what happens when one promotes one’s own shame into an industry.

The terrible mistake for Exodus to have happened at all. Many of us had painful and destructive comings out. We didn’t all turn our own hurt on our fellows.

Their second biggest mistake, once you accept their founding, was allowing themselves to be, or seeking out to be, used by anti-gay religious individuals/groups and THEN anti-gay political individuals/groups.

When I was a victim of these people they weren’t all that political but they were VERY much involved in marketing to and teaming up with anti-gay churches and organizations.